


stranger danger

by taesxbandanas



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Attempt at Humor, Confident Han Jisung, Crush at First Sight, English class, First Dates, Flirty Lee Minho | Lee Know, Fluff, M/M, Pet Names, Shy Han Jisung | Han, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, but he loves jisung more, i just want to make you guys smile, minho loves tiktok, or...call?, so so so much fluff, they try to one-up each other and it's cute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-11
Updated: 2019-11-11
Packaged: 2021-01-27 10:56:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,343
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21390997
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/taesxbandanas/pseuds/taesxbandanas
Summary: “alright guys,” the professor calls over the loud clamor, “i know you won’t like this, but we’re gonna apply what we’ve learned so far in a different way.” he pauses for a second, taking in the nervous looks on everyone’s faces. “you’re gonna get a piece of paper with a phone number on it from a student of the other english section, and you’re gonna call them and ask them these questions on the board.”the whole room groans, and jisung’s heart drops to his toes in sudden anxiety.or, the one where jisung has to call another student and ask them about their day in english, but he wasn’t expecting to be rendered speechless in two languages.
Relationships: Han Jisung | Han/Lee Minho | Lee Know
Comments: 30
Kudos: 399





	stranger danger

**Author's Note:**

> hiiiii so this is my first work for the skz fandom (for my friend christa), but i've been ulting them for a long time hehe
> 
> anyways i love them so much and writing this took my mind off of everything for a bit, i hope it makes you smile or laugh a little :)
> 
> happy reading! <3
> 
> EDIT: in minsung's conversation, the korean is in italics. hopefully that helps in telling between the korean and english phrases!

jisung should have known the whole day wouldn’t go like this.

he had woken up some hours earlier actually feeling well-rested for once (which he never does — the time stamps on his recorded tracks can prove it) and wandered down the hall to his shared kitchen to find that his roommate had actually made tea and bought doughnuts for them to share. “are you really seungmin? did someone possess you?” jisung remembers asking, laughing as his roommate yelled swear words, chasing him around their small common area. This, of course, woke up their other roommate, hyunjin, who had the funniest, most obnoxious bedhead jisung has ever seen, leading to at least fifty pictures hidden away for blackmail purposes.

even on the short walk to seoul university’s campus, his spotify playlist had blessed him with a shuffled mix of twice and zico, and he couldn’t keep the small grin off his face as he breezed through his first two lectures, answering a difficult question in chemistry rather quickly and snagging the last of the bibimbap during the lunch rush.

so, in harsh reality, jisung _really_ should have seen this coming.

“alright guys,” the professor calls over the loud clamor, clapping his hands together like he’s about to announce the details of a new twice comeback, “you might not like this, but we’re gonna apply what we’ve learned so far in a different way.” he pauses for a second, smiling as he takes in the nervous looks on everyone’s faces, particularly that of a scared freshman in the front row. “you’re gonna get a piece of paper with a phone number on it from a student of the other english section, and you’re gonna call them and ask them these questions on the board.”

the whole room groans, and jisung’s heart drops to his toes in sudden anxiety.

“we have to speak the _whole_ time in english?” jisung’s seat mate, an adorable freshman named jeongin who boasts the cutest smile, shouts loudly, his wide eyes turning on jisung. disbelief paints the younger’s face like a comic book drawing: all colorful animation and big block letters in speech bubbles.

“i’m scared, too,” jisung admits, his gaze flickering down to their shared table, observing the pencil marks from past students ingrained into the wood. he’s about to add on, to say something like “but whatever, piece of cake” to salvage his dignity, but jeongin cuts him off before he can even open his mouth.

“jisung-hyung, you’re probably the best at english in this class, both sections included,” he deadpans, rolling his eyes as he props his chin on his hand. his styled blonde hair contrasts strongly against the storm clouds dancing across his expression in response to the assignment. “you’re never one to admit you’re scared, though, that much i know from sitting next to you for a month.”

the older lets out a laugh that is really more a sharp exhale, heat rising to his cheeks at the compliment. “yeah, well…i just get nervous talking to people i don’t know. that’s only sometimes, though,” jisung can feel himself insisting, his pride struggling to make up for his sudden confession. “i’m not usually like that, i’m more confident. and i guess since it’s over the phone i can just pretend to know what i’m doing.”

jeongin shakes his head, “hyung, you sound like one of those tiktok bad boys, you know, the ‘i’m gonna act tough but in person really i just want attention’ kind.” jisung splutters, completely off-put by the unfiltered comment (_aren’t i more of a closeted emo soundcloud rapper_ is on the tip of his tongue), but jeongin cuts him off again. “oh no, here are the numbers—”

“wait, why does this person’s number have so many sixes?” jisung wants to laugh as he stares at the digits written in messy scrawl on a small piece of blue paper clearly torn from a notebook page. “this should be a sign that i should back out right now.”

“jisung,” the instructor yells from across the room where he’s still handing out numbers, seemingly hellbent on targeting jisung today, “if you don’t call, i’ll automatically fail you.” jisung gapes at the teacher, who can only giggle at his obvious misery. “don’t give up on them before you’ve even given them a chance, jisung.”

“i can’t believe this,” jisung mutters, putting the phone number into his phone more aggressively than necessary. “he’ll really fail me if i don’t call this random stranger who will probably stumble through their english and not answer _any_ of the questions right—”

“wow, judging me before we’ve even met? you’re off to a great start, babe.” the uninterested voice on the other end of the line cuts jisung’s mumbling right off, and he freezes, caught red-handed.

jisung can only focus on how the stranger had no idea who he was, and yet still called him babe. it hits him, then, that the stranger had spoken entirely — and flawlessly — in english. “don’t — don’t call me babe,” jisung says back, cursing himself for stuttering over the easy sentence.

“what, would you prefer baby instead? darling? sunshine?” the stranger hums, as if they are pretending to think. “i think i like baby. and how about you?”

jisung’s breath catches in his throat despite knowing the last sentence is straight from their textbook, because now the voice is different. it’s more interested, and deep, and full of a laugh that drips sweet honey, like it’s seconds away from bubbling over and coating their next words in a contagious, tangible sort of happiness. he knows this is a challenge, and he leaps forward despite the rapid heartbeat in his chest to snatch the stranger’s dangling bait. “if you call me baby, then i guess i have to call you my soulmate.”

the stranger on the other line laughs then, a loose mirth-filled giggle that is infectious even through jisung’s phone speakers. jeongin gives him a weird side glance as he stumbles through the assigned questions, which reminds jisung of the assignment they’re actually supposed to be doing.

it seems the stranger reads his mind, because he says in korean, _“ah, so we’re already at that stage, huh?”_ and then in english, “what are you doing today, baby?”

jisung bites back a smile at the recurring petname, not wanting to give the other satisfaction of winning when they’d just started playing. his eyes dart down the list of verbs on the powerpoint their instructor has left for them. “uh, today i’m doing homework and listening to music. what about you, my soulmate?”

there’s a snort from across the line, and some muffled talking jisung can’t quite pick up on. _“sorry, my friend kept talking to me — wait, in english_ — sorry! my friend is — is annoying. anyways. ah, is that so, baby? today i’m buying spicy noodles and working out.”

jisung can’t help it — he giggles, only to slap his hand over his mouth to muffle the sound. “why would you exercise after having spicy noodles? won’t that make you feel worse?”

the stranger seems to have forgotten about the challenge, at least for now, because jisung can definitely hear their smile coloring their voice rainbow as they respond. _“hey, man, let me live my life, okay? if i want to die while lifting, at least my last meal would have been worth it.”_

“ah, do you really lift?” jisung’s curious; he wants to know if this mystery stranger has muscles or not. _priorities, really_.

another light laugh. “sometimes. _my annoying friend likes to lift so when i do it’s to make him look good in front of his crush.”_

“so you’re a wingman?” jisung giggles again as the stranger sighs dramatically. he’s pretty sure ‘wingman’ isn’t listed under ‘careers’ on the board, but what his instructor doesn’t know won’t hurt him.

“we all have to make sacrifices, i guess_._ what do _you_ do?”

jisung ponders a second before answering. he could, of course, go with the traditional “i’m a student,” but that doesn’t settle well in his stomach. “well, everyone in this university is a student; but i don’t want to leave it at that,” jisung says, and the stranger hums thoughtfully, urging him to continue. “like, what sets me apart from everyone, you know? i mean, i pick up shifts at starbucks sometimes, but really i write and produce music. that’s what i want to do at least.”

the line is quiet for a few seconds as the stranger processes the english words. “wow, that’s really cool! i like — uh, i sing sometimes, but i really like dancing. nothing crazy.”

“i'd love to see you dance! and wait, you have to let me hear you sing sometime! you could feature on one of my tracks!” jisung can’t contain himself, and his cheeks puff up with the force of his big smile. he’s always looking for more vocalists, and if he’s read this stranger right so far, he’s pretty sure they are the type to downplay their own talent and abilities.

“ah, i don’t know if i’m that good, but if it makes you happy, baby, then i’ll do it.”

and jisung doesn’t know what to say to that. no stranger has ever called him baby and also wanted the best for him. it’s cute, something different, and it makes jisung’s chest warm, his breath shaky, his knees weak even though he’s sitting. “uh — i — okay.”

“did i render this stranger speechless with an old-school line from a drama?” the voice on the other line sounds enamored as they coo at jisung, who is thankful this is just over the phone. “i can hear you blushing, you know.”

“that’s _not_ — that’s impossible!”

“are you sure? because you sound a lot like you’re trying to hide your blush. what would you do if we were talking face to face?”

jisung inhales, trying to right himself before he speaks again so that he can stop from making too much more of an absolute fool of his unusual shyness. he briefly remembers he’s supposed to win whatever this little challenge is between them, but he’s pretty sure he’s already lost, so he throws all caution to the wind. “i think if we were talking in person, i would try to make you blush so we match.”

“don’t you think we match quite well already?” the stranger doesn’t miss a beat with his answer, keeping up with jisung perfectly. “it’s only been five minutes but it feels like longer, doesn’t it?”

and jisung agrees. “yes, stranger. we do match well.” he trains his stare to read the last question on the board, ignoring how his heart flutters. “so, what do you like, soulmate?”

there’s more humming over the receiver as the stranger thinks, trying to come up with the right english words, and jisung can picture them tapping their chin in thought. or maybe they are the type to absentmindedly play with their hair as they toss thoughts around, or bounce their knee, or —

“baby? stranger? did i scare you off already?”

jisung sighs at his ability to lose focus everywhere, “oh my god, no, i was just — also thinking. about what you do when you think, like the, um,” he switches to korean, _“your mannerisms, i guess. i like observing people, but i was just thinking because i can’t see you.”_

the stranger laughs again, this time the loudest jisung has heard in their short conversation, and he just wants to bookmark it, save it, bottle up the sound in a jar and open it when he can’t bring himself to smile. he barely catches a small _“cute”_ in korean before they switch back to english. “i like cats, science, singing, and you. what do you like?”

jisung is, once again, taken aback by the forwardness of the stranger. his hands shake slightly as he keeps the phone held up, his eyes sweeping over his classmates hesitatingly talking to other random students. “i, uh, i like cheesecake, traveling, and music.”

“wait,” the stranger starts with a huff, and jisung presses his lips tightly to stop his giggles, “you don’t like me?” and then, before jisung can respond, they clear their throat dramatically and add lowly, “tell me baby, do you like me?”

and because jisung is directing all of his focus on trying not to show how flustered this stranger makes him feel, he can only squawk out an incredulous _“what?!”_ which gives himself away, anyways.

laughing filters unrestrained through jisung’s phone, and he can hear small bursts of korean through the giggles, even though the only actual words he hears are _“so cute.”_ jisung wants to scream.

“how about this,” the stranger switches back to korean, _“tell me baby, do you like me the way i like you?”_

and for the second time in less than ten minutes, jisung is stuck staring wide-eyed at his desk, his mind processing the words and running far away with them. the question is tucked in his pocket, bouncing inside his brain, and zipping through his veins, zapping him with warmth across his whole body. jeongin still looks concerned for him, but one daringly raised eyebrow from the instructor and he flickers his eyes back to his own desk as he talks with his partner.

jisung has a response, he really does, but the shape of the sentence he wants to say traps itself in his throat, like the tips of the letters are holding on, not ready to be released yet. because really, why should jisung be talking like this to a stranger?

“uh, i — how — in what way should i, um, should i like you?” he stumbles so much, having answered back in english, and he hasn’t tripped over his words like that for at least a couple years.

it’s as if the stranger can sense how shy jisung has gotten despite him trying so desperately to remain confident, because they laugh into the phone again, this time quietly, like it’s only a secret for jisung to hear. _“in whatever way you want, baby.”_

jisung gathers every last ounce of courage remaining in his body (which isn’t much at this point), ignoring how his heart squeezes at the audible gentle sigh that follows the stranger’s sweet words. _“well, i want to find out which way.”_

the stranger’s phone must be really close to their face, because jisung can hear the soft gasp on the line as the other holds their breath at jisung’s sudden boldness. _“i want to find out, too,”_ they say, their lively tone bordering on a whisper, as they for once allow themselves to revel in their shyness.

jisung is about to respond with something witty about this whole situation to make the stranger laugh again when jeongin snaps his fingers in front of the older’s face. “hey, hyung, the teacher said we can hang up now, class will be over soon.” the younger still seems concerned from earlier as he carefully watches over jisung’s face, but he soon plops back into his own seat. “your face is really red though, hyung, maybe you should see a doctor.”

“watch it!” jisung throws back, playfully shoving jeongin’s shoulder as they chuckle at the way jisung’s blush darkens. they pretend to not notice the look of disdain the instructor sends their way at their rough-housing.

“_so…your instructor is making you hang up now?”_ the stranger cuts back in, their voice seeming to hold sadness. _they don’t want to go either? _

_“yeah, i guess so.”_ jisung says, his bottom lip unconsciously jutting out into a pout.

_“yeah.”_

neither of them make the move to hang up, though. timid breaths fill the silence over the line as their words dangle between them, the weight of their conversation swinging on a string just within reach. all one of them has to do is reach out and snip it, leaning forward _just_ enough to catch it so it doesn’t break—

“um, i, uh,” jisung giggles at how the stranger suddenly trips over what they want to say, continuing in korean so they can articulate better, _“do you want to talk later? like, not as an assignment for english?”_

jisung doesn’t stop his smile from taking over his face this time. _“yes, i’d love to.”_

and when jeongin teases him for the rest of the day about his phone partner to their other friends, he can only grin, for the bubblegum blush settling onto his puffy cheeks gives everything away without him needing to even say anything.

★ ☆

**unknown number**

hey! it’s your phone partner from english

i just realized i never told you my name

i’m minho

and i really like your voice

_10:29pm_

**me **

hey minho!

i’m glad u wanted 2 keep talkin

i wasn’t sure if u were jus sayin that lol

n e ways

i’m jisung

i rlly like ur voice too

_10:30pm_

**soulmate minho**

i know

that you’re jisung, i mean

i knew it as soon as i cut you off when i answered the call

i’m your hyung, btw

_10:32pm_

**me **

wait u know me???

have i seen u before?

this is trippy are u sure

_10:33pm_

**soulmate minho hyung**

yeah, i’m sure

you’ve been my barista before

and last year we had psych together

i was just too shy to talk to you so

_10:35pm_

**me **

oh

oh wow okay

i’m jus dumb

_10:36pm_

**soulmate minho hyung**

yeah

sorry if that’s weird

i just

i wasn’t lying earlier

when i said i like you

_10:41pm_

**me **

i’m

oh my god

okay

_10:45pm_

**soulmate minho hyung**

i don’t know much about you

but ,, i do have ,,,

a small crush

_10:47pm_

**me**

jus a small one?

_10:49pm_

**soulmate minho hyung**

jisung.

_10:50pm_

**me**

ok

ok i’m sorry ok

wow

um

do u want 2 get some food?

i want 2 get 2 know u i’m craving some burgers nd well

i’m also ,,, craving ur time?

_10:52pm_

**soulmate minho hyung**

oh my god stop

that was so cheesy, even for me

but yeah let’s do it

what dorm are you in?

_10:53pm_

**me **

i’m in miroh, 102

give me a minute tho

i gotta put on cool clothes

_10:53pm_

**soulmate minho hyung**

you? looking cool?

i’d like to see it

and whoa i’m also in miroh, 914

i’ll come down to your floor

_10:55pm_

**me**

hey! i can look cool if i tried

besides ur still a stranger

i gotta look decent

_10:56pm_

**soulmate minho hyung**

well you’re MY stranger

and you look great in anything you wear

so don’t worry, okay baby?

_10:58pm_

**me**

i

ok

_10:59pm_

jisung learns that minho is just a little shorter than him, slightly intimidating because he is so infuriatingly good-looking, an incredible dancer (thanks to the mcdonald’s blaring twice in the background), and definitely the type to run his hands gently through his hair when he’s busy thinking.

he’s also the type to steal jisung’s fries (even though he has his own), start a footsie war underneath their corner table, playfully call him baby in public, and quote random memes as he acts them out, voices and all.

and if jisung thinks minho is _his_ type as they walk back to their dorms, hand-in-hand, laughing about how flustered jisung was when they talked during class, he doesn’t say anything. he’s more than sure his tight grip on the older’s hand paired with his free, traveling laughter is obvious enough.

★ ☆

⟪ barely a week later ⟫

**soulmate minho hyung <3**

okay but just think about it

tiktok memes are so much funnier than anything else

like

tiktok>>>

tiktok outsold

_3:21am_

**me**

i’m breaking up with u

_3:25am_

**soulmate minho hyung <3**

wait we’re dating?

we wERE DATING?

jisung

HAN JISUNG

you can’t just

come BACK PLEASE

i didn't even get to ask you yet

let me take you out on a real date

i’ll delete tiktok for you

_3:31am_

**me**

… so u were saying

_3:34am_

**Author's Note:**

> after i had to do this in my korean class (it was with people in the same quiz section tho), i got to thinking about how jisung would pretend to be overconfident in his english speaking and how minho could call him baby one time unexpectedly and he would completely shut down fjdkldl
> 
> i just love minsung dynamics
> 
> anyways, if you made it this far, please leave a kudos or a comment? let me know what you think! i made a twitter for all my aus (please i want friends) and here is my cc :) come yell at me about anything you want, send my prompts, anything! i love talking to people!!


End file.
